I’d rewind that Wednesday
morning when Tim McVeigh
and John Doe loaded ammonium
nitrate in a yellow Ryder truck
and blew 168 souls to Kingdom-Come

Confetti of files and flesh
floating between sinking
concrete slabs and jagged re-bar
would swirl and swoosh back
to where it came from-
(I parted the sea, remember?)

Files would fly back
to cabinets marked A-Z
flesh would fuse back
to bone and muscle
last breaths would suck
back into breathing lungs

And the long-faced firefighter
would give Baylee Almon
wearing little yellow booties
back to the policeman
and the policeman would
tuck her back in the rubble

And all the rubble and mess
would stick back to the structure
like it did before this hell on earth
and Baylee would go back with Colton
and Chase to American Kid’s Daycare
and back to her mom giving kisses

If I were God
I’d rewind that day
all the way back to Tuesday
when Baylee blew out one pink
candle on a birthday cake
and licked frosting from her fingers…